'Promising young lives.' Friends mourn loss of couple killed in Holliston crash

HOLLISTON — A Holliston man and a Connecticut woman who died in a single-vehicle crash last Saturday night had been a couple for a year after meeting as students at Bryant University.

Both Joshua Taylor, 23, of Holliston, and Haley Gens, 23, of Avon, Connecticut, were 2022 graduates of Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island.

In a statement, the university expressed sorrow at the pair's passing.

"The University is heartbroken about the tragic loss of two recent graduates, Joshua Taylor and Haley Gens," the statement reads. "While undergrads, both were active and beloved in the Bryant community. We hold their families, friends, and former classmates in our thoughts as we mourn the loss of these promising young lives that are gone far too soon."

According to the Bryant University athletic page, Taylor was on the ultimate Frisbee club team, while Gens ran cross-country.

Taylor, in a recent Instagram post, had wished Gens a happy first anniversary.

"Thank you for one of the best years of my life thus far Squish (Gens), you mean more to me than you’ll ever know. Thank you for the endless laughs, hugs, kisses, and espresso martinis. Life’s a million times better with you in it babe, very grateful for you always. Here’s to many more years of us and making incredible memories, I love doing life with you, it’s a true privilege."

Friends mourn the deaths on social media

Several people responded to the Instagram post after the couple's death.